The Well
by EvernightDimNess
Summary: Cinderella/Thumblina mashed. Willow had fell into The Well, now she has to find a way to escape from an evil king, witches, mermaids, and pretty much all of the fairy tale creatures. Will she get out before war breaks out or stay and fight with the rest?
1. Chapter 1

**The Well**

**Chapter One: **_Into the Fount_

"WILLOW!"

The name was called loudly but, had a deadly tone to it.

Willow nearly spilled the well water onto the olive green grass. She looked up almost astonished to see Lady Valentine in a puffy pink dress. She looked more of a cherry than a flower.

"WILLOW! You come here!" Lady Valentine huffed.

Willow had no choice but, to quickly hurry across the backyard bare foot. She had begged and pleaded Lady Valentine for shoes for her aching feet but, all she would get was a piece of cardboard and string. Willow would either have to create her own shoe or buy one. Willow nearly laughed at the word 'buy'. She had no money at all. She was as broke as the men down in the alley.

"ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME GIRL?" Lady Valentine shrieked violently.

Willow was nearly shaken. She hurried along as swiftly as she could without yelling how much in pain her feet were. Willow took a deep breath of relief as she put down the buckets of clean water next to her. She was finally in front of Lady Valentine.

"You see this?" Lady Valentine said quietly. "My daughter's shoe has been worn! You see the mud," Lady Valentine had taken a pink pump from behind her. She shoved it into Willow's face, there was a spec of mud on the side.

"You think I did it?" Willow questioned softly. There was a shiver in her voice. She was scared and frightened of Lady Valentine.

"MEREDITH!" Lady Willow called.

Meredith appeared right behind her mother. She looked as if she had been eating too many scones and crumpets. Her chubby cheeks jumped when she opened her mouth.

"Mother. She did it. I saw her! She wore my new pink pumps around the yard! I saw her, mother!" Meredith kept chewing on a scone. "With my own blue eyes!"

Willow gasped and took a step back. It was useless arguing with Lady Valentine. Willow sulked. Her hands in fists. She looked down at her bloody toes and waited to hear her punishment.

"Punish her! She must get punished, mother! Punish her!" Meredith jumped. Her face now a tomato red. "I want her punished!"

"Relax, Meredith…my darling daughter. I know one way how to…deal with such a pig like her." Lady Valentine whispered as she hugged her plumped daughter.

Meredith gave Willow an evil glare and waited to hear her mother preside over Willow's punishment.

"You will clean the house, inside and out! You will cook dinner with my darlings favorites! You will trim the trees! You will clean the horses and their stables! You will clean the roof! You will clean our shoes and clothes! You will empty out the water closet! You will…do our hair! You will…you will," Lady Valentine's dark eyes flickered to the well. A smile formed on her face. "You will clean the inside of the well. I want clean water in there by morn. Chop chop!" Lady Valentine smiled deviously. "Come on pumpkin." Lady Valentine cooed at Meredith. "Who wants a slice of gooseberry pie?"

Willow's stomach growled loudly. She held it tightly and observed the trees and blue skies. She took a deep breath and looked at the well. T_his couldn't get any worse. _Willow thought. She always tried to think of the positive things at a time like this.

Willow looked at the water in a bucket next to her. She groaned and picked the bucket up. She carried it over to the well and looked down. It looked like a dark hole that would never end and when you heard that plop you would enter Hell. Lightening had just struck in the sky looking as if it just cut the sky in half. The clatter of rain from the South was pulling it's way to the North. Thunder roared at her sounding vicious.

It was only seconds later the hard rain had hit Willow. Soaking her as if she were a piece of garbage. Her auburn hair stuck to her pale cheeks. She flipped her hair so it would stay out of her face. Willow's cold grey eyes searched for the ladder. When she touched the long wooden ladder that was next to the white fence. Lightening had been cackling at her for how foolish she was to do this during a storm.

As Willow's blue dress stuck to her like glue she had been sliding in the ladder into the well. She then felt something tug the ladder down. Willow was going to scream but, she was in too much shock too. She tried to pull it up but, another force down below began pulling on it harder.

"Let go!" Willow shouted.

The ladder then was being pulled upwards. Willow backed up away from the well when the ladder threw itself onto the wet grass. Her chest was juddering up and down as if she had just swam in a five mile swim non stop.

It had been five minutes and Willow was still on the ground, staring at the well. She gripped the grass near her tightly. Thoughts had been jamming into her mind, _How? _Was what every thought began with. Willow finally stood to see a grass stain on her dress. She took another breath. Her heart began to settle down. She took slow steps toward the well. She looked down and it looked the same. Silent, dark, and deadly. _Possibly, this is my imagination toying with me. I haven't ate since yesterday…that's probably it. _Willow thought. She grabbed the ladder and saw green goop on the end rims. _What's in this well? If there is something dangerous down there then, I'll be a goner. _Willow shook her head. She had to tell Lady Valentine.

Willow dropped the ladder and ran towards the house. She opened the door to see Lady Valentine feeding Meredith. "Great. What do you want?" Lady Valentine dropped the fork of gooseberry pie. "My my. What happened to you?"

Willow wanted to walk right next to Lady Valentine and smack her across the face. "There is something in that well." Willow said in a hoarse voice.

"And what do you want me to do? Not make you do it?" Lady Valentine snorted. "Go down into that well and clean up whatever muck is inside of it! I don't want contaminated water! My darling daughter wouldn't want to get sick now would you?" Lady Valentine threw her attention back to Meredith.

Willow felt hollow inside. Her heart was still…everything had slowed down. She stomped outside and slammed the door closed. The green goop on her hands was gone. It was as if it disappeared in thin air. _The rain must of washed it away. _Willow had picked up the ladder and made sure it was touching the bottom of the well.

"Alright, Willow. You can do this." Willow patted herself on the back and began climbing down the ladder with a bucket in her mouth. When she was right above the water she began cleaning the sides of the green muck. It was disgusting but, she was lucky it didn't smell. She began humming gracefully while she cleaned. She had heard Lady Valentine sing it in her awful voice but, Willow's improved it with her enthralling singing voice. Willow didn't like to sing at any old time but, only when she was alone and either cleaning or reading.

Suddenly, there was a harsh tug on Willow's dress. Willow looked down and saw nothing was there. She was acting paranoid now. She gritted her teeth and kept humming. A slimy hand wrapped around Willow's right ankle. Before Willow could react. She was pulled down into the waters of the well. Willow cried for air but, all she could see were bubbles coming from her mouth.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: **_Welcome, to the Middle of Nowhere!_

Willow coughed violently as she turned on the mud around her. As water exited from her mouth she coughed. Her wet red hair stuck to her pale skin like glue. She tried to pick herself up and stand. She took a deep breath and dragged herself towards dry land. As she opened her eyelids, her eyes searched the area around her. She could see trees, plants, and vines. Some trees grew so tall it was hard to believe it.

Willow slogged towards a tree and helped herself up. She coughed once more as her eyes looked around. _Where am I? _Thoughts consumed her brain at a fast pace. She tried to remember what happened. Her head hurt tremendously.

"The well." She uttered. Willow nearly jumped when she said that, she looked at her foot. It was bleeding rapidly down to her ankle. She bit her pink lip and turned back to the water. Willow hopped over and let the cool water steal the pain away from her foot. _What had done this? I may have scratched myself. _

Willow watched as her blood danced in the cool water. Willow had sighed, how was she supposed to stop the bleeding. She could add pressure but, with what?

Willow eyed the water suspiciously when bubbles had attached to the shore. She pulled her foot out the water, a burning sensation devoured her foot soon growing to her left leg. Her worried eyes placed on the bubbling water, she instantly grabbed a patch of grass and held onto the sward.

Swiftly, a splash of water hit Willow, soaking her even more than before. Willow moved her orange hair out her face to see-.

"Retsnom flesrouy esaec!" a young boy around the age sixteen had appeared from the water. He had a blue bow n arrow ready to attack.

Willow backed up. _What did he say? Was he speaking some type of gibberish? Oh, this is bad! I never pictured my death this way. _Willow gave the boy a worried glance.

"Em rewsna!" the boy grew closer to the shore. He spoke the words in cold tones that could leave you breathless.

Willow chocked on her words. Before she could say anything she realized something. _Em rewsna? Isn't that 'answer me' backwards? He's speaking English except…backwards. Hmm. _

"Ma I erehw wonk ton od I. Em turh ton od!" Willow replied hoarsely. She surprised herself how well she could speak English backwards.

"Ereh morf ton era uoy?" the boy questioned as he lowered his bow.

Willow nodded. She hoped the boy would understand and show her the way out of here.

"Gintseretni." the boy let his bow float on the graceful waters. He grew closer to the shore. He touched Willow's wound. She backed away an inch. She was scared out of her mind.

"Pleh em tel." the boy growled as he took out a white cloth from his brown messenger back, which hung across his bare chest.

"Uoy knaht." Willow moved her injured foot in front of the boy. "HslignE kaeps uoy nac?" Willow asked, her head ache had got worse when she spoke backwards.

"Sey." the boy cleared his throat. "Yes." he nodded. He slowly began bandaging the wound. Blood seeped through it. The boy sighed, "I only have one cloth." He moved back into the water.

"Thank you. Can you tell me how to get out of here?" Willow probed.

The boy was silent. "There is no way out of here." He shrugged.

Willow stared at her foot. _No way out of here? How will I survive? There is no society anywhere. I'm stuck…I'm going to die here._

"Are there any other people around here?"

The boy shook his head. "It's just you and me."

Willow held herself tightly. _Maybe…maybe this is some dream. It's so real though. _Willow eyed the boy who was swimming around in the water happily.

"Are you sure there isn't anyway to get out of here?" Willow spoke in a desperate voice.

The boy stopped swimming. "There is one way. It's dangerous though."

Willow stood while trying not to put weight into her left foot. "Obviously, you don't know who I am. I've been through dangerous events in my life." Willow looked down at the ground. Memories flooded her head. She remembered how she was forced to cross a swamp with alligators living in the very depths of the swamp. Willow had no choice. She remembered when she almost got shot in the head. If it weren't for the bird to distract the man she wouldn't have been alive. Willow had no choice. She remembered when she had fallen off a rock and down a cliff. If her dress hadn't had got caught onto a branch she wouldn't have made it. Willow, again, had no choice but to do as she was told. A girl her age had no right to pick her own decisions. Those around her picked what they wanted her to pursue.

"All right. We're going to see the Witch of Stradid Lake. She may pop you back to wherever you're from." the boy made his way toward the shore.

"We?" Willow blurted out.

"Why yes. How do you expect to get there? Magic?" the boy spat.

Willow was quiet. She finally cleared her throat. "C'mon then." She looked toward the forest. As Willow turned back around she nearly screamed. The boy had finally dragged himself onto land. He was a-

"You're a…a…" She pointed to him as she backed up in disbelief. _How was this possible? Creatures like this don't exist._

"Merman? What never seen one?" the boy chuckled. His tail was long and golden.

"No." Willow fell once more. She just couldn't believe it…her dream was getting even worse.

The boy arched his eyebrow. "You are definitely not from here." He dragged himself onto dry land. His tan skin looking wet and shiny. "Can you do me a favor? Would you go hide over to that tree?" He asked.

Willow nodded. She thought it would be best to sit down. Her head was juddering while her teeth chattered. She hid behind a tall tree with long brown branches covered in green leaves. Willow stared at the tree in amazement. There were diamonds sparkling in the leaves making the tree look unbelievably gorgeous. Willow felt the tree as it was soft and she hadn't gotten any splinters. _Amazing…! _

"Are you ready?" the boy walked over to her. He had lost his gold tail, in the tails place were tan legs and brown tattered pants. He slid on his white shirt and wringed his black shoulder length hair. His cold grey eyes looked towards the dark trail ahead.

"I'm ready. Just anything to get back home." Willow replied softly.

"Then, let us be on our way." He began walking onto the trail.

Willow sighed. She knew she was treated badly by Lady Valentine and Meredith but, they were the only family she had. She treasured them and tried to please them to try to be part of the family…and somehow…she really felt as if she was family. Willow knew that somewhere deep down in Lady Valentines heart…she misses Willow desperately and needs her right now. Willow sighed and followed the merman.

"I'm Demetrious by the way."

"Willow."

"Where the bloody hell is that girl?" Lady Valentine shrieked.

"She ran away, mama! I saw her! I saw her! I really did! She ran down the street! I saw her!" Meredith sobbed.

"What?!" Lady Valentine hugged Meredith. "When the police find her she'll be cleaning every inch of this house! Head to toe! I mean, roof top to the basement!. I'm so glad you aren't like her." Lady Valentine cooed to her daughter.

Meredith giggled. "Thank you mommy."


End file.
